Chocolate-Caramel Ice Cream Pie

Author Notes:If you can make pie crust, you're more than halfway done; ice cream makes a great no-effort pie filling. Top with whipped cream and maybe a drizzle of something (say, caramel?) and you're done! —Erin McDowell

Makes: one 9 inch pie

Ingredients

For the crust:

1 1/4
cups all-purpose flour

1/4
teaspoon salt

8
tablespoons cold cubed butter

3
tablespoons ice water, or more as needed

Finished Pie

1 1/2
pints chocolate ice cream (use the good stuff)

2
cups caramel candies, unwrapped

1 1/2
cups heavy cream

3
tablespoons superfine sugar

1
teaspoon vanilla extract

In This Recipe

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425º F.

Make the pie crust: in a large bowl or in a food processor, combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and toss to coat. Cut in the flour or pulse in the food processor until the butter resembles the size of peas.

Add the water and mix to combine. The dough should come together easily but not be wet or sticky. Wrap the dough and chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thick. Transfer it to a pie plate, and trim the edge so there is only 1/2-inch of overhang all around. Chill the dough inside the pie plate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Fold the excess dough under at the edges, pressing gently to “seal” the dough to the pie plate. Finish the edges as desired. Poke the base of the crust a few times with a fork. If the dough seems warm, chill it again.

Line the crust with parchment paper and pie weights, and bake until the crust is golden and crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights and continue baking until the crust is fully baked, 5 to 10 minutes more. Cool completely.

To make the finished pie, soften the ice cream slightly. Transfer it to the cooled pie crust, and smooth evenly into the crust. Place the pie in the freezer to set.

In a heat-safe bowl, melt the caramel candies in the microwave in short 10-second bursts, stirring occasionally, until they are fully melted.

Remove the pie from the freezer and drizzle generously with half of the caramel. Return to the freezer.

Make the whipped cream: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the cream until foamy. Gradually add the sugar and vanilla and continue whipping on medium-high speed until the cream reaches medium peaks.

To finish the pie, pour the whipped cream on top of the ice cream and spread until it evenly covers the surface. Drizzle the remaining caramel on top, and freeze until you're ready to serve.